The Rail Safety Regulator will investigate an apparent suicide on Monday in which a couple and a baby died in Ga-Rankuwa. A train crashed into their bakkie on a level-crossing at midday.
”We remain concerned at the growing number of accidents at level crossings and will continue to work closely with operators to find lasting solutions,” the regulator said in statement on Tuesday.
North West police have not yet released the names of the three.
Witnesses told railway officials the accident seemed to be a suicide as the bakkie had stood idle until the train neared, when it moved onto the tracks and stayed there despite the braking train’s hooting, said South African Rail Commuter Corporation-Metrorail (SARCC-Metrorail) spokesperson Pule Mabe.
Two adults and a four-month-old baby in the bakkie died. Nobody on the train was injured, said SARCC-Metrorail spokesperson Thokozani Zitha.
ER24 spokesperson Riana Beech said the baby was flung from the bakkie on to concrete 300m away from the collision. The two adults were trapped inside the bakkie which was dragged 700m under the train.
All three were thought to be from the same family.
Zitha said the line was certified safe at about 4.30pm and reopened so peak-hour traffic was not disrupted.
SARCC-Metrorail has set up a board of inquiry into the incident.
Mabe said the board would investigate the cause and circumstances around the accident, and would determine what measures should be taken.
Public education would be intensified to raise awareness of the risks at crossings.
Mabe said all the country’s level crossings met legal standards.
”We are satisfied that the procedure to manage a disaster of such magnitude exists. Our management team has responded speedily to the challenge of putting in place the necessary safety measures,” said the SARCC-Metrorail chief executive, Lucky Montana. — Sapa